Level.



P. E. RIAL & F. E. MOORE.

LEVEL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5, 1912.

1,1 12,935, Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

if 14 6 f 1f. 14

2527574! ZZZ/1100 Zf Inventors Attorneys NORRIS PEIERs C0 PHOI. -ITHQ.WASHINGTON. D C

oNrT nsrArEs PATE FRED E. RIAL Ann FRANCIS E. Moons; oELosANGELEs,oALIFonNIay LEVEL Specification of Letters Patent. 3 i

Application filed November 5,1912. seriaiiro; 729,702.

To all/whom may concern:

Be it known that WeQFREoE. RIAL and FRANCIS EDWARD, MOORE, .citizens ofthe 1 to various angular positions.

proved support for such levels. It is the object of the present1nventlon to: provide a base plate adapted to be supported UnitedStates, residing at Los Angeles,i n the countyof Los Angeles, State ofCalifornia, have invented a. new and useful Level, of which thefollowing is, a specifis cation.

I Thepresent invention appertains to spirit levels and particularly toanovel and imby atripod or upon a suitable surface, a plate spaced abovethe base plate and connected thereto for swinging movements,

meansfor adjusting the upper plate relative 3 to the base plate, and arotatable spirit level holder carriedby the upper plate, in order thatthe level holdermaybe ad ustedtothe properhorizontal position and maybeset ]OlI1t in order to be, swung relative of jam nuts 12 areengaged"on the pedestal This invention also aims to provide such a device whichshall be simple, inexpensive,

durable, substantial and. compact n construction, aswell as serviceable,convenient To the above and other ends, thepresent combination andarrangement of parts here inafter set forth and cIaimedQitbeingunderstood that changes in the" precise embodiment of invention hereindisclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed .1

without departing fromthe "spirit of the invention. a a

The preferred embodlment of themvent'ion has been illustrated theaccompanying drawings, wherein like reference. charac I ters have beenemployedjtodenote corres- .ponding parts and wherein:-

fee

. igure 1, isa side elevation of the support.

Fig.2 is aplan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section jofthedevice.

Referring specifically to the drawing a base plate has been designatedby the numeral 4, thesamebeingcircular 1n contour, and the'upper plateor :platenhas been designatedby the numeral 5, the samebeing of acontour and size corresponding wlth the base plate. The base platefrt,however,is comparatively thin, Whereas the upper plate -recess.7 and anopening 9 struction as described presently.

tral dependingllug or upper shallow circular ameter slightly less thansaid plate 5. The plate witha concaved socketfi i recess 7 of di- 11thebottom ofthe the socket 8 tothe bottom said opening and socket withthe recess 7 and the plate 5.

The pedestallO is screw threaded cenof the plate, the

trally through the base plate 4 and projects PatentedOcti e, 1914.

a 5 is made thicker due to itsparticulariconthe diameter 0f the 5 isalso provided extending from i being concentric below the saidbase platein order tojengage the threaded socket of a tripod, when;

necessary or desirable, the upper end of the pedestal passing; looselythrough the open- .ing;9 in the upper plate and having arhemi 1spherical head 11 fittin intothe'concaved a socket 8 so as to provide aball and socket permit the "upper plate to to the base plate. A pair 10to contact. with the respective faces of the base plate inorder tomaintain the pedestal face of the head ll is parallel with; the. base.plate xAn annular 1 series of posts'uavi 5 isscrew threaded intowthebase plate 4 adjacent its margin a knurled this case four,

inposition, as will be apparent; The Hat nutlt being engaged oi-screwthreaded onto 1 the upper end of eachpost 13 and'havinga conical tip 15.The upper plate -5 is pros vided withfan annular series of indentations16 in the bottom thereof and adjacentits margin in which the respectivetips 15 of the adjustable members or nuts 14 engage. Thus,- the pedestal10, forms connecting the two plates centrally rot} movements relative toeach other,

swinging Whereas the respective bolts and adjusting nuts 1e provideadjrlst-able jam members between the marginal portions of the two 1plates for settingthe plates at. any angular. y position or a parallelposition. relativelt'o each other. 3

A, circular level holding plate or turretfilt is arranged within therecess"? withinithfew plate 5,and is perferablyfflushwiththeface of thesaid plate 5,the plate 17 beingprovided with a circumferential groove18, and] y y 90. a' draft member,

' a series of set screws 19 being passed into the in the sockets,

is to be supported. legs lie in a plane plate, in

the periphery of the plate 5 so as to engage.

in the groove 18 for retaining the plate 17 against outwarddisplacement, but permit-. ting the said'plate to rotate freely. It willbe'noted that the plate 17 closes the socket 8, the head 11, however,being spaced from the plate 17 in order to permit the plate 5 to swingrelatively to the pedestal, the plate 17 being provided with a centralductfif aperture 20 through which oil or other lubricant may be passedso as to lubricate parts which are in sliding engagement with eachother.

The flat face ofthe slightly below the bottom of the recess, which willserve to limit the swinging movements of the'plates 5 and 17 withrespect to the pedestal, and which will permit the turret or plate, 17to seat upon the flat face of the head, for'the purpose hereinafter setforth. It will be noted that the periphery or circumference 'of theturret or plate 17 is spaced from the walls of therecess 7, the turretor plate 17 being of smaller diameter than thesaid recess, so that theset screws 19 may be readily adjusted to center the turret or plate 17.

. A pair of studs 21 are screwthreaded into the plate l7 and areprovided with oppose-d sockets 22 for the reception of the endsof thespirit level 23 in order to support the spirit level diametrically overthe center of the plate 17 Theends of the spirit level 23 may be engagedto the known manner. Thus, the sockets 22 may be of sufiicient depth, topermit one end of the I spirit level to .be inserted in one of the.

sockets, prior to the engagement of the other stud to the plate 17, inorder that when the.

said stud is, engaged to the plate, the spirit level may'be slidoutwardly slightly to en- .gage in the other socket.

that other means may mountingthe spirit level upon the plate 17.

One of the posts 13 projects below the base plate 4 to provide the leg24 and a pair of additional legs 24 v 7 plate, so as to provide a threepoint contact with any object upon which the. baseplate The lower endsof the parallel with the base order that 11 is parallel with the saidplate.

This implement may be employed 01 divers purposes, 1t being noted thatthe same i 'may be employed as a telescopebase ofsurveying instruments,the pedestal 10, or base 4, being adapted to tripod, and the platenbeing readily adjust- 1 ed by in order that the telescope (not shown)car-' means of the adjustablemembers 14,

studs 21 in any well v The spirit level may then be cemented orotherwise secured it. being understood, however,-

be employed for aresecured to the base the flat face of the head becarried by the usual employed as an ordinary plumbers level, in

which event, it is necessary or essential that the turret be disposedparallel with the plane of the lower ends .of the legs of the base.Duringthe use of the device as a telescope base, it will be observedthat the platen and turret are usually tilted at various an gles withrespect to the base plate 4, so that the device may not readily beemployed as a level without first'bringing the platen par- 1 allel withthe base plate. head 11 isdisposed This, however, is

readily accomplished by releasing the adjusting members 14 from theplaten, which will permit the platen and turret carried thereby to seatupon the head of the. pedestal. When the platen is thus released, the

turret or plate 17 is adapted to seat on, the flat face of the pedestalhead, and inasmuch as the said face of the head is parallel with thebase plate 4 and the plane of the lower ends of the legs, the turretwill thus be positioned properly in order that, the device may beconveniently employed as a level, it being observed that the platen,together with the turret form a turret structure adapted to be rotated.upon the pedestal head to variously position the spirit level. It willalso be observed that the turret and platen being flush permit anysuitable: im-

when the platen and turret are rotated together upon the pedestal head.In this manner, the device may be convenlently employed as a plumberslevel, the legs of the plement to be placed thereon, especially baseplate being adapted to readily set upon the surface or object to beleveled or set in a true horizontal position. By threading the nuts oradjusting members 14 upwardly, they will again contact with the platenso as to raise the same, in which event, the device mayagain be employedas a telescope base, or the like.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the drawing, the advantagesand capabilities ofthe present device "will be appar- 1 ent and it willbe manifest that the objects aimed at have been carried out in asatisfactory manner, the present device providing a desirable oneforvthe purposes for which it is designed.

Having thus descri is claimed as new is' In a device of the character,described, a base having legs, a pedestal supported by bed theinvention, what the base and having a hemispherical head,

the fiat face of whichis parallelwith the plane of the lower endsof thelegs, a platen having, a shallow recess and a 'concaved' socket at.thebottom of the recess, the said head fitting Within the said socketwithits fiatface disposed slightly below the bottom 1,112,935 a i at 3:

of the recess, a turret plate dispcsed in the t In testimony that weclaim the foregoing Y I sald recess, means carried by the platen for asourown, we have hereto alfixed our sigma 10 holding theturret platewithin the recess, tures in the presence of two wltnessesg a spiritlevel carried by the turret plate, and i FRED E. RIAL.

5 a series of adjusting members adjustably FRANCIS carried by the baseto contact With the platen 1 Witnesses: t and to release the platen sothat the turret LLHVJAMISON,

platewill seat upon the said head. H. D. CRANE.

Uopierot this patent may be obtained for he cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of intents,

Washington, 10.?

